The Royal Rescue
by Qazal
Summary: Peter,Riva,Edmund,Susan and Lucy. All together in a place of darkness. A place of Shadows. Things will only play out for the better, right?
1. Prologue

**UNDERWORLD**

**Prologue **** :**

**N**ot right, something's not right. School's not right. Food's not right. Or maybe it is, but I don't know. Why do I feel like I don't belong here. The movies,malls,hangouts,music(ok,maybe not music,its the only thing I love about this world) ,the glamour of a city life. The drama is just too much. Fake friends,fake confessions, everything's fake ! I know there's another world out there somewhere. God made the universe, he made multiple dimensions. I don't belong to this one. I just know.

* * *

"I know Narnia's home but it is starting to get a bit boring." Edmund said to Lucy. Lucy and Edmund had been having an argument over something very silly. Edmund thought that they had had enough of Narnia and its lands. He wanted to explore. Edmund had strange thoughts of worlds and on the other hand , having great faith in Aslan , believed that Narnia was their only Home. She thought that England was only a pathway to Narnia , not their home. But she often missed her parents and cousins.

"Edmund ! You did not just say that ! " Lucy gasped, " You're the king ! "

Edmund sighed. He was frustrated.

" Are you two ever going to stop ? We've got to get ready to go to the Pond of confessions. Remember ? Peter had a dream about it , and it turned out it's real." Susan said from the chair nearby.

" You say that like it's the most normal thing ever. " Peter said , walking in.

"Well, you've been talking about it non-stop since the last week , so , I suspect I'm getting used to it. " Susan shot back.

" Be serious Susan , I saw it in my dream , it was between two cliffs and it glowed an eerie green." Peter began.

"Here we go again" Edmund said looking at Susan.

" Edmund , I'm completely serious here. After the dream , I find out that a Centaur found a similar pond , He came before me to tell me about its properties. And that , that the villigers nearby call it ' The pond of confessions '. Its really creepy and we need to check it out." Peter stated the obvious.

"Alright, when are we leaving ? " asked Lucy.

"So its settled , We'll leave tomorrow. " Peter said with satisfaction.

Susan and Edmund groaned but agreed ultimately.

* * *

I really think too much. I need a break.

"Riva , we're going out to the park , want to join us ? " My neighbours , Zara and Dela called from the window. I was sitting on the couch next to the window figuring my thoughts out. There was my chance now , to take a break. Sometimes,I really over-think.

"Coming !" I shouted loud enough for them to hear.

Time for a break . I grabbed my IPOD and head-phones and went out of the house to join Zara and Dela.

* * *

**Author's Note** : Hello , yes , I'm the author . A 16 year old girl . This Fan-fic is a bit different than the others. Because the story will take place neither in Narnia , nor earth.

Keep it tuned.

I'm going to write 5 chapters. If I get reviews that indicate I should continue , then I certainly would . But if not , then , well , I tried.

I'm going to update every 3 days.

And I sound like a complete bore ! R and R ! I take, it means read and review ? :P


	2. Go for a swim ( Part 1 )

**GO FOR A SWIM**

**"**This is no way to spend your vacation. You just sulk around all day and listen to defeaning rock. Get a life. " Dela said to me. Oh Lord ! Thanks for the caring nature of my friends.

" I just can't take this anymore. I mean , all you people do the entire day is shop for random things , hit on guys , get involved in some god-forsaken drama and still have the energy to crash parties all night. I think I'll pass on that. " I said to her. Its true , I'm not a diva , and don't want to become one.

We were nearing the park now. Its a family park but all I see is teenagers on swings , on the grass making out and some of them flirting shamelessly under the big willow tree. I grimace as we enter the park and find the guard picking his nose. Zara raises her eye-brows and punches Dela lightly on her arm . Dela just shrugs and takes my hand . I don't get , what's going on ?

"Dela , I see Adrian ! . " Zara squeals at Dela. oh , now I see it. It's Dela's Ex. They were together for a few months then it all went splitsville when Dela found out Adrian lied about his age. Cliche'd .

Dela shifted uncomfortably under Adrian's gaze. Zara was clearly really happy about this because she kept steering us into Adrian's path. It was getting a bit annoying. I figured I should keep some distance from the trio to avoid maximum drama.

" I think I'm gonna go sit by the pond for a while . And just take in the summer breeze . " I said to Dela. But Dela was very busy trying to get rid of Zara who had a fair grip on Dela's arm and was talking animatedly with Adrian.

" So , I'll just go. Not that anybody cares. " I muttered under my breath and started towards the glittering blue pond . I could hear Adrian speaking in hushed voices with Dela . While Zara seemed to be bickering with another hyper girl. I sighed inwardly. These moods have got to stop. I had reached the pond and sat myself on the soft grass. I just sat there for a few minutes , taking in the atmosphere , the coolness from the pond and the sounds of various birds in the trees. It was calming. MotherNature always is.

It must have been only 15 minutes of me sitting there when I heard someone coming towards me . I rolled my eyes thinking it must be Zara or Dela and turned around . But it wasn't them. It was a Guy. A really attractive guy , I should mention. But as this thought entered my mind , it was like an internal force that slapped me. I sat there , face turned towards the stranger that was approaching and in internal pain. He brought an aura of authority with him. It seemed like the trees bowed in the wind to this man. This man , who seemed my age but felt alot older. This man with Golden-brown hair , eyes of a cat and the body of a Lion. He seemed strong. And I felt intimidated. I quickly recovered my original position and stared intently into the pond. Please don't come and sit by me , Please don't come and sit by me. I silently prayed.

" Why don't you want me to sit by you ? " The young man asked me. I stayed silent for a second because I realized he'd read my thoughts. For some reason , the hyestria boiling inside of me vanished and calm took its place. I looked at the man and said , " I don't remember . " It was more of a murmur. He took a seat beside me. His body warmth enfluged me. I was calmer and in strange ecstasy. Also , I had no idea what was going on .

" Do you like to swim ? " he asked me.

"Hmm ? " I snapped back into reality. But not quite , the feelings lingered . Like, waking up from a sleep and still feeling sleepy.

" You're troubled , I assume ? " He asked again.

" I am . How did you know ? And no , I don't even know how to swim . " I said to him cautiuosly.

" Its a shame , swimming washes away the worry of troubles . I know you Riva. As well as you do. You don't like it here anymore , do you ? " He said.

" I.. I .. I'm not sure. " I sttutered. It was a lie what I said. I was sure I was fed up with this life.

" Come with me . " He said , getting up . His brown locks falling over his face. I got up , brushed the invisible dust from my red dress and stood up. He was taller than me , and manly. He started walking towards the pond and I followed was dominant on me right then. He bent over the pond , looked back towards me and gave me a hand.I fidgeted in my spot but gave him my hand felt tiny and fragile in his rough and strong one. I didn't know why I was doing this. It felt like I was safe with him . I felt towards him in a Fatherly manner. A superior force he was. If Zara or Dela could see me with him now , they'd make up stupid assumptions. The problem with the world is that they judge . Without even knowing the situation of the person. As I was thinking all this , The man tugged my hand and I kneeled beside him. He looked at me for a moment and then brought my hand into the pond water. Our hands traced imaginery patterns in the water.

" How does that feel ? " he asked, continuing to trace patterns.

" Cool and calming " I said to him. It did. The water felt wonderful against my skin. I cautiously put my legs in , knee deep in water. My short , skinny jeans getting wet. But I didn't care. It felt so good. I looked over to him . He was still tracing pattrens with out hands.

" I'm sorry , I never asked for your name ." I said to him. He stopped tracing pattrens and let go of my hand . Instead he took both of my arms and got into the water , waist- deep. He tugged me forward and I got into the water too , not caring because the dress was already wet at the ends. We walked further into the pond. I felt like this was the most normal thing in the world. Because , A) This person , who ever he is , must be a therapist and was trying to help me. I was not hesitant as I usually am. And B)I've also heard that going for a swim washes away all the silly over-thoughts people have. This felt compeletly sane , unlike the other dramas in the world.

The man went under water pulling me with him , I sucked in a breath and went in. Inside , I opened my eyes , the water was clear blue and my brown hair lingered everywhere around my face. The man's golden-brown locks swam in the water. They were beautiful to watch. Now that I was totally under , I felt free , numbed out from the world with this total stranger. I made him let go of my arms , only to give him a hug. He returned it and patted my head in a fatherly way. My arms in his arms , I pulled back to watch him. His brown locks began to glow golden like the sun and my eyes grew wide. I let go of him instinctivly . But he took my hand and raised it above water surface. The water around him turned golden too. I was short of breath and growing purple. And then I wondered what was happening , was he a mer-man ? some sea creature ?

The man chuckled lightly , his golden eyes watching my confused ones. I was almost out of breath. But I didn't budge from my position. I was about to black out.

" I'm not a mer-man or a sea creature, O, troubled one. I am your aid . I am Aslan. " He whispered in my ear. And for some reason , I smiled knowingly and then fell into deep slumber. Everything going black. I was finally out of breath.

When I finally came to , I was on the edge of the pond . Face-down on the surface , legs in the water . I got up and looked into the pond confused. Because it was the very same pond , glittering blue and illuminating the place around me. Because you see , I was not in the park anymore. The place around me was ungodly , dark and illuminated only by the pond's blue light. There was no sky , all around me was black. The surface around me was black. I could see nothing else. I shivered , not out of cold but fright as I heard an unhumanly howl from somewhere in the strange land . Where was I ? Where was Aslan ? This can not be a dream.

**Author's Note : **_Hello again , this chapter as you can see is in Riva's point of view. This chapter will have two parts. The second one will be in the view of the pevensies when they go to check ' __The Pond Of Confessions.'__ Please review , so that I can have some feed-back. Thankyou to my first follower , Maddell. Cute name. _

_Review and suggest what would happen with the Pevensies when they reach the Pond of Confessions ?_

_What land has Riva landed upon ?_

_Until tomorrow._

_( The five chapters I'm gonna do are going to come consectively rather than every 3 I continue , then the 3 day rule would apply. )_


	3. Go for a swim ( Part 2 )

GO FOR A SWIM ( PART 2 )

Peter led the party to the West Woods where the ' Pond of Confessions ' was supposed to be located . Susan and Lucy rode on one horse while Edmund and Peter on two seperate horses. It was a fine day which was quickly turning to a night. The horses moved fast but steady. Peter had left Cair Paravel under the responsiblity of Glenstorm because Peter had great trust in him. As they moved along , the woods got quieter and quieter and neither of the Kings or Queens had the energy to strike up a conversation. They hadn't brought any guards because the job was harmless . But the Kings and Queens of Narnia were in for something they wouldn't have even imagined. What could they imagine , they were already in a magical land of talking animals and unstationary trees. Their imagination seemed so pathetic before the events that had unfolded in the past few years of their reign and even before that.

" Are we there yet ? We've been riding for hours now ! " Lucy said tiredly as they moved along toward a clearing.

" I think we might be there , just a few more minutes , Lucy " Peter replied , looking ahead towards the clearing .

" Its not like we can miss it , its _the pond of confessions ,_ it sounds so grand we should be able to spot it. " Edmund said , emphasizing on the the name of the pond.

Peter and Susan gave Edmund tiring looks while Lucy giggled and petted her horse.

" I think we should stop here and leave our horses " Peter said . " Go on foot from here , I think I see something , maybe its the pond. "

Everybody agreed and they set off , they walked a good two miles before they reached the deserted pond. It was a bit bigger for pond but it wasn't that deep. Maybe 20 feet . Peter signalled everyone to stop and he went forward to examine it. It surely was an odd green color but it seemed clean enough. There were a few fishes swimming in the pond and a couple of tadpoles. Sensing no danger , Edmund stepped forward and dipped his hand in the cool water of the pond , he went still for a fraction of a second. Susan noticed this and asked ,

" What is it , Edmund ? Is it too cold ? "

" No, its just that , it doesn't feel like Water . Its a tad thicker. " Edmund said , trying to make sense of his own words.

Peter stepped up and also dipped his hand . Edmund was right , the liquid was thicker. Lucy was curious and dragged Susan forward to get a better look at it. They were all around the pond now , mesmirized by the green glow it gave off. It was peaceful, there was no other sound other than of the wind.

" I don't deserve to rule . " Peter said , his eyes glassy and focused on the Pond. " I'm just a normal British man , I can't do this ."

" What are you saying , Pe- " Susan was cut off by Edmund.

" I will never know how to look a Narnian in the eye without thinking of my betrayal to Narnia. Nobody, who knows who I am, will ever care about me . " Edmund said. He said this because he'd never told anyone about this before and wasn't entirely sure why he was. It was like he couldn't control his thoughts , mind and mouth .

" I want to be desired ! " Lucy said in a shaky voice.

Susan wasn't sure of the situation. She knew something was up but couldn't put a finger on it. It was one of those frustrating times when she tried to make sense of unexplainable things . When her brain told her ' This isn't possible ' while her heart told her to go with it and ' let it go ' . Basically , Susan was having an Elsa-Attack , which is defined as ,

" Thoughts that make you doubt yourself Or freeze everything around you. "

But with Susan it was the former.

" There has to be a LOGICAL EXPLANATION ! " Susan thought she had screamed in her head , but when all three of her siblings looked back at her , confused , she realized there was some queer magic at work.

" Let's get out of here " Edmund said. After everybody's outbursts , he wasn't exactly comfortable.

Everybody shifted backward but Lucy stopped.

" Wait , you guys , look ! " She said. She was looking at the pond . Peter moved forward to pull Lucy back but he saw it too. Inside the green pond was something blue . Scratch that , it was not a thing ... it was just there , it was part of the pond. If the Pond was a green cocktail , the bottom of it would be a glittering blue. Susan and Edmund also looked , and that's when Edmund said ,

" This is the strangest thing I've seen , and that's saying something . " He shook his head and continued to stare at the bottom of the pond.

" I don't think its a thing... " Peter said warily before diving face-first into the liquid of the Pond.

" Peter ! What - " Edmund started but instead pulled off his uncomfortable tunic and dived after Peter.

Lucy and Susan stood on the edge of the pond , puzzelled. And when they peeked into the pond , there were no signs of Edmund or Peter . Immediately Lucy knew this was some kind of a calling , Aslan's calling. She grabbed Susan's hand , took a big breath and in she went in the pond with a horrified Susan.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I didn't have the time or obstacle to hide behind when a .. thing , yes that's appropriate , a thing , splashed out of the water gasping for air . It looked like a human , but I'm not taking any chances after the sickening noises I've been hearing . The Human-thingy splashed about and then surfaced on the black ground. After it cames a human , I was sure its a human because I can see its skin and its like how human-skin is supposed to be but alot paler. It must be a white-person. It turns out that the human-thingy is human too , its wearing clothes . ( weird ones, I must add ) . And both of them are Male . Next , surface two girls , a younger and an older one. They seemed quite normal but their dresses were a bit strange . They all had reached the black ground and were just laying there resting. I suppose it was so dark that they couldn't see me , I was about 5 feet away from them . Just observing them. Then I felt like a stalker and a creep so I decided that if they acted normal , I'd introduce myself and If not , then I'll kill them .. with my .. uh .. IPOD ?

The shirtless guy coughed up some water and the clothed blond guy patted his back . The two girls were drying their hair with their hands and sorting their dresses. Assuming they were normal , why were they so calm ? I mean , I lost my mind the first few hours and then decided that its best to stay by the Blue, shiny Pond. And I know its been hours because my watch's still working , miraculously . After the group had sorted themselves out , they whispered among themselves . Which I found mildly uncomfortable. I shifted from my position because I was getting kind of sore.

" Who goes there ?! " the shirtless guy shouted so suddenly that I fell back on my bottom . I recovered myself and scooted a few feet away . The guy got up and took something out of his waist-belt which I hadn't noticed before. It seemed to be made out of leather.

" Edmund , you brought the torch ? " the older girl asked .

" I always keep my Torch , its the only thing I've got from England " The shirtless guy called Edmund said.

Did he just say England ? THE England ? As in , the England on the earth's map ? I thought I'd found four creatures from Earth , and it was my lucky day ( night ? ) , they were humans ! But I was still suspicious and decided to eavesdrop , it's not like I'm on earth and have to follow it's stupid rules like ' Eavesdropping is a bad habit ' . Screw anybody who think it is , we're talking about life and death here. And torches.

" I think there's something there. " Edmund said , hitting the torch on the palm of his hand several times. The torch flickered a few moments but it came to life.

" Let's look then " the blonde guy said . The two girls just looked so scared they just murmured agreements. I panicked and got up to look around if there was something to hide behind. There was nothing , just blackness

all around. Crap ! Just as I was starting to like this hell-hole with all the ' No earth , no rules ' thing , this happened. Then a thought stroke me , I can be whoever I want to be , Not Riva , the girl who was fed up with life , not Riva who was a goody-two-shoes at school and definitely not the Riva who once had to clean a cat's smelly vomit. Nobody has to know that. I can be whoever I want to be , but who am I ?

As I was thinking all this and looking frantically for a place to hide , I felt the light on the back of my neck and I turned around and it hit my eyes. I winced. I was completely out of ideas , because the torch incident caught me off-guard. Literally , because I was planning to just eavesdrop and then when the time's right , go around in the darkness and politely ( or rudely ) ask one of the girls

" What are you doing in my territory ? " So that I sound like the Queen of the Black and blue place and then they'd think I was supreme and they'd help me get out of this mess and that way I could've known how it feels like to dominate someone else , and would've gotten free company. I thought I was badly in need of some.

I'm not Evil.

Yet.

But the half-naked guy had to ruin my beautiful plan and I was just standing there a burning sensation in my eyes from the torch's light and cursing the guy for having a Torch.

" Who are you ? " Edmund asked suspiciously . He lowered the flashlight a bit so that it wasn't on my eyes , but on my breasts , which wasn't helping my situation . I felt so awkward I took a few steps forward , alerting the blond guy and causing him to jump 2 feet in the black air.

" Stay there ! " Edmund bellowed . " Identify yourself "

I thought and thought of a cool name for myself but failed miserably .

" Riva , my name's Riva . " I admitted to him. Edmund looked over to the blond guy , who nodded. And slowly but suspiciously , Edmund lowered his flashlight like it was a weapon. And then I realized I was holding my both hands up as if I was being caught for doing a crime. With a sour face I lowered my hands and looked over to the four people ahead of me. I already knew that the shirtless and dark haired guy was Edmund and the blod guy was his older friend or something. The older girl was dark-haired like Edmund and the younger one had light brown hair and wore a light green dress which was a bit dirty from the black stuff and the water. Edmund cleared his throat and I realized I'd been staring at the younger girl too long and she looked uncomfortable. I quickly snapped out of my observations and made way to Introduce myself. I took a few stepts towards the girls, side-stepping Edmund.

" I don't know how exactly I got here , its a long story . But you people act like you know this place or know how to deal with the fact that you're not on Earth anymore. Or are you wizards and you know how to apparate illegally. I don't know , but this place is just plain horrifying , I've been hearing odd voices and screams and those aren't just from my head . " I tried to explain to them the best I could,

They just looked at me blankly .

" We're not from earth , we're from Narnia . " The younger girl said. Narnia ? Is that a planet ? no , definitely not . Oh dear this keeps getting more complicated. More than any Avril Lavigne song .

" Is it a place like this one ? " I asked her.

" No , its a place where animals talk , trees move and a lion rules . " Edmund said from behind me. He walked towards me and came and stood beside me. His naked aura was making me uncomfortable so I moved towards the blonde guy. Edmund seemed to notice and backed away.

Oh , I've heard about those places , in books and movies and small-scale movies. Basically , I never paid attention to any thing fiction because I never got a break from the crap that I had to deal with from the real world. And I believed Edmund because it was the sane thing to do. Argument would result in nothing but doubt and I'd rather beileve some old myth rather than be in constant fear of physcos .

" oh-Kay .. good for you. But where are we ? " I asked looking at the ground.

" We haven't yet figured out " , The blonde guy finally spoke. He ran a hand through his hair and pouted.

" Right , so , who are you people ? " I asked , annoyed. I finally meet , not one , but FOUR people and still have no idea about this place. I'm not liking it here at all.

" The kings and Queens of Narnia " , the older girl said . But after realizing how stupid she sounded, she said " I'm sorry , I'm Susan and this is Lucy " pointing at the younger girl who offered me a small smile but I just raised an eye-brow at her.

" - and this is Ed- " she continued but I cut her off.

" Edmund , yes , yes , I know . " I said.

" And I'm Peter . " The blonde guy said. Susan looked at me with puzzlement . I felt a bit better , being a known stranger in this completely lonely place . The first time in days I was glad I'm talking to people. But I didn't say that out loud.

" So , Susan , Lucy , Edmund and Peter " I said addressing them one by one , " How do we get out of here ? " I asked hopefully . Maybe they'll take me in their group and we'll travel to Earth or Narnia Hogwarts or whatever.

" We don't , Aslan does. He's the high ruler of Narnia and i'm pretty sure he sent us here. " Lucy said.

Aslan ? Now it makes sense . I saw him before I ended up here. I cheered up a bit. Maybe he will get me .. us back.

" And Aslan's a strong man with brown - blond hair in his twenties. ? Right ? " I was so perked up . This could be a real adventure . And then when i'll have my share of a wonderful life in the Black and Blue land , I'll just ask him to send me back. But not back to my depressions. I frowned at the thought.

" No... he's a Lion " Peter said,

" Fuck what ?! " I screamed .


	4. Finding Good Company

**FINDING GOOD COMPANY**

" Please ! " Peter said , suddenly very red in the face.

" Don't use that kind of a language in front of Lucy , she's only 15 . " I looked at Lucy , who was quite fascinated by the whole turn of events.

" So what ? I'm 16 " I said to Peter.

" What ? I thought you were 12 or such " , Edmund said , a smile spread across his face. Lucy giggled and Susan tried to hide a smile. Peter shushed them with a glare while I got over my embaressment.

" Anyway , " I said , glaring at Edmund , " My point was that , its pretty common to use such ' abusive ' lanuguage because its what makes you fit in " I told them. Again the thought entered my mind , that if I'm not on Earth anymore .. why am I trying to fit in ?

" That's ridiculous . " Peter said , brushing it off with a wave of his hand. He thought for a moment , then he asked me , " What year are you from , Riva ? ". Edmnd scoffed. I rolled my eyes.

" You're kidding. " I said , a smirk on my face.

" What year are you from ?! " Peter asked again , only this time in a firmer tone.

" Alright , Alright , I'll play along. I'm from 2014 . And let me take a guess , you're from the 1950s " I said in a playful tone.

" The 1940s , actually . " Susan said from behind me .

" But we've only spent around 7 years in Narnia . Is it possible that 70 years have passed on Earth ? " Lucy asked Peter. Peter seemed to be in deep thought. And I , well , I was utterly confused. So I decided to change the subject .

" You guys are siblings ? " I asked them in general.

Peter didn't answer. Edmund did.

" Yes , how'd you guess that ? "

" Mostly because you're not couples and partly because you resemble a bit. " I replied. Susan's face twisted into a weird one. She must have visualized her and Peter as a couple .

" Well, you're one for making weird but correct observations. " Edmund said , smiling at me. I did not return that smile. I don't smile at boys. I don't like boys. The whole idea of romance and flirting stinks to me. And I'm also not the one to lead people on.

" Lucy , you might be right. That's why she's so tiny and outright rude. She's from the future. Well , the future for us anyway. " Peter said pointing at me.

" Hey ! I'm standing right here ! " I said , aghast .

" Sorry , heat of the moment . " Peter murmered . He sure does talk weird.

" Anyways , am I with you or not ? " I asked them.

" Sure . " Peter said. Lucy smiled at me and this time I returned a smile. Peter called all of us forward and discussed what to do. He offered a plan. That we take a good drink of water from the pond and then set off forward . He had this thing in which he carried water . So did the other siblings. He said that If we don't find anything before the water runs out , we'll turn back. We all agreed to this. He asked me if I had anything valuable and I told him I had my IPOD , Cell and my headphones. He just looked at me blanlkly and muttered something about useless inventions of the future at which I rolled my eyes. He , however , did not ask to see them . Edmund asked some questions out of curosity but I brushed him off with answers consisting of only ' Yes' and ' No.' We all took a good drink of water and splashed it on our faces . I was kind of getting used to the darkness around me and could see black hills rising from the horizon. If there was one.

" Wait , I don't have a shirt . I don't think it would protect me from the weather. " Edmund said.

" There is no weather. " I pointed out. It was true. I felt nothing , not cold nor hot. Even the water from the pond had no particular temprature. Everything was raw and real. Atleast it felt real.

" But , I need a shirt . Who knows what's out there. " Edmund muttered , a little uncomfortable now. I sighed. I had to do this , to earn their trust and whatever. I was wearing a sleeve less light purple undershirt. It was approriate wear. But one could see my bra's straps . But that's alright I guess.

" Wait. " I said to Edmund. I went behind a big rock ( Where was this rock when I was trying to hide ? ) and took off my red dress. It only came up to my thighs . So , I ripped off the frills from the bottom and the sleeves. It looked pretty much like a T-shirt now. I adjusted my undershirt. Made sure I had no under-arm hair. ( Hey , its important. ) . And let my hair down so it could cover my shoulders. I should look appropriate. I mean , the skinny jeans were a bit short but OK I guess. I came out from behind the rock and Lucy gasped. Susan and Peter turned red. Edmund just stood there shocked and staring at me. Now , I felt uncomfortable. I walked toward Edmund and handed him the shirt and avoided his gaze. These people weren't probably used to skin exposure. Just look at the way Susan and Lucy are dressed , its a wonder how they can breathe in those tight dresses covering them from shoulders to ankles. I shuddered at the thought. Nobody said anything. So I just decided to start moving along. They quietly followed and I could feel their eyes boring into my back. That was the last straw , I snapped.

" You know , its rude to stare . " I said matter-of-factly . Fancy that coming from me. But after saying that I felt a bit better.

I risked a glance behind me , Susan and Lucy were walking behind me . They were talking in hushed tones but it didn't seem they were talking about me. Peter was walking behind them , staring at Susan and Lucy's feet. Edmund was walking beside Peter. And we made eye-contact but he quickly broke it. he was wearing my red dress/shirt now. Let's just say it looked better on me.

The way ahead of me got steep , it was like we were hiking and it became difficult to climb up.

" Peter , I suppose , you want to lead the way ? " I said after 20 or 30 minutes of silence.

" Yes , yes , I was just going to suggest that . " Peter said quickly . Too quickly. I looked at him suspiciously and waited for the rest of them to catch up. Peter nodded once at me and began walking again. I groaned.

" This is boring ! " I said after a few minutes. Lucy laughed and suggested we play a word game. I was so pathetically bored , I agreed. The object of the game was to make a word from the last letter of the word given.

" I'll start " Lucy said. " Dark " . She looked around and shivered.

" Kitchen " Susan said.

" Noise " Edmund said.

" Elephant . " Peter said smiling and lucy laughed. I wondered what it would've been like if I had a sibling. I could've shared all my problems with him/her and made fun of the Drama queens and attention seekers . And then we would do all sorts of silly sibling stuff . And play pranks on each other. Like in Zack and Cody. It was a chidish but entertaining show. I missed it.

I didn't realize but everybody was staring at me . Again.

" What? " I snapped at them . Probably jealous at that moment.

" Its your turn . " Lucy said. she looked a bit hurt.

" oh. I'm sorry , I didn't realize. " I offered her a smile and she smiled back.

" The word was Elephant . " Edmund told me. I took no notice .

" Umm.. turn ? " I said , smiling at Lucy again. She giggled. It was her turn. She thought for a moment. And then looked at me.

" Naked. " she said really carefully. And then looked around. I started laughing and she joined me , later we were all laughing and holding our stomachs . It all just seemed to break the tension.

" I'm sorry if this unsettles you " I said , guesturing to my outfit. " But its pretty normal back in Twenty-Fourteen. " I told them atlast.

" Its no issue. We over-reacted. " Peter said to me.

" And getting used to it. " Edmund said coming up from behind me , a smirk on his face. " And by the way , thanks for the shirt. "

" No problem. " I said to him and moved towards Lucy and Susan who signalling me to join them. I walked with them behind Peter and Edmund. Lucy occassionally poking Edmund on the back and blaming it on me. But I had to admit, theses people were better than my friends at home. And just for a few moments , I forgot the trouble I was in and enjoyed some good company.


	5. Barely Human

BARELY HUMAN

Walking around in the darkness with the Pevensies made me realize how messed up of a situation I was in. Each one of them had a disorder , ( And to think I only spent 3 hours with them uptil now ) I was so bored during the period when Peter explained our ' Game plan ' again , I started observing very little things . Susan's disorder : She has to have a say in everything . She thinks her opinion makes 90% of the decision and the other 10% is just Peter agreeing to everything. Peter's disorder : Announcements . He simply has to announce something every 10 minutes.

" Come on people ! We have to keep going . "

" Hurry up , now . I think I see something . "

" I think we should take a left . "

" Don't let the darkness dampen your hopes ! Keep on going ! "

But it was kind of comforting to have someone as optimistic as Peter around. When I woke up here , I thought I finally came to my destiny : Hell.

Edmund's disorder : Sass. He has to give a stupid ( and kinda funny ) comment about almost everything. Specially , when Peter gives one of his annoucements .

Peter : " Everybody alright back there ? "

Edmund : " We're fine Peter , though its a bit dark around here. Could you possibly come back here and illuminate our way with your sunny personality ? "

I almost snorted a laugh out in that one , but it was cut short by Peter's glare. And Edmund's eye-brow being raised . What ? Can't a girl laugh around here ? We were still hiking on a hill when I happened to glance at my watch . It still worked. I noticed we had been hiking for more than an hour now and I didn't feel a bit tired , hungry or thirsty. Unusual. On instinct I asked Susan for some water , she handed the flask-thingy to me. I took a drink and immediately felt the urge to throw up. I coughed and sputtered the water on what seemed like a burned down bush . Lucy came to me and rubbed my back soothingly . The cough wouldn't stop , it scared me a bit now , my throat in need of air . I signalled Susan to take the flask from me . She ran forward and took it from me and looked at me with worried eyes. Peter seemed to having some kind of panic attack , he was constantly telling Lucy to whack me on the back and screaming at me to look to the sky to tone down the cough. Edmund held me by the arms while I inhaled deeply and looked at the so-called sky . It was black , more than just the nightly black , but just black . Nothing. The cough slowed down , my vision blurred to the slightest and came back alright. Lucy stopped hitting me on the back and Susan seated me on a soft , grey rock. I took a few deep breaths and tied up my hair. I was trembling a little.

" Are you alright now ? " Edmund asked me. I nodded in response. I tried to speak but my throat was hoarse. I cleared my throat a few times and then tried again.

" Check the water , is it safe ? " I asked them in a strained voice . Peter hastily took the flask from Susan and checked it out. He sniffed it a few times , tested it on his hands and then finally , tried to take a sip.

" No ! " Susan shrieked and pushed the flask out of Peter's hands causing him to spill the water all over his .. what's he wearing ? I wondered. But anyhow , Peter did drink some of the water. He started coughing and sputtering the water like me and I took very much pleasure watching Edmund whack the cough of Peter. Not in that way , get your minds out of the gutter !

When Peter calmed down , he concluded : " Its not the water , its us . "

" You mean , we're .. what ? " I asked .

" I mean , we can't digest it , let alone drink it . " Peter explained.

" This doesn't make sense , weren't you thirsty , Riva ? " Susan asked me.

" No , I just assumed I should take some water. I didn't really want to... Holy Shit ! This place has Alienated us ! " I cried.

" That's a very disturbing profanity you used there .. " Peter began . " But I think you might be right , i've never felt so energized on a hiking trip . I'm not hungry nor thirsty .This feels amazing . Do any of you feel tired ? " he asked. All of us shook our heads to say was .. glad this happened ? What ? Susan was utterly confused , I could see it on her face. Lucy beamed at Peter for figuring it out himself. Edmund , well , he was just sitting beside me , scratching his head and trying to ask something.

" But what if we go back to whereever we came from and remain like .. this ? We'd become freaks ! " I pointed out.

" Why do you have to be so negative about everything ? " Edmund asked with a frown.

" Well, I'm sorry if I want to be normal again and get out of this shit I'm knee deep in because of .. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHY I'M HERE ! " I shout at him . This was a disaster. What happens if I go back like this ? If I throw up everytime I eat or drink ? My friends will leave me , I'll be the family freak everybody brings chocolates to and I wouldn't even be able to eat those ! Doctors would always be around , pricking me and doing God-knows-what to me. I had started to hyperventilate after my outburst while they looked at me like I was going to die . Well, not today . Hell no. I stood up , trying to control my breathing and started to walk away from them fairly quick. As I pass by Peter , I can't help but be jealous about how calm he is of being in a place , time and situation like this. Its madness ! He's happy about this mutation that's transformed our digestive systems ? He's GLAD that we're barely human ? And that Edmund , he .. ugh .. me ? negative ? MORE LIKE OUT OF MY FUCKING MIND BECAUSE I CAN'T STAND THIS !

Furiously , I take the flask-thingy out of Peter's hand and throw it as far as it would go . I turn around to find everyone astounded. Lucy's near to crying. Susan's in a half-gasp . Edmund's standing now , struggling to get some words out . Beside me , Peter looks like a child . And I'm the adult who cried ' BOO ! ' at him.

" We're gonna die here ! How do you not see that ?! " I shouted at them . Edmund comes forward but stops when I scream again,

" Don't , just .. don't ! " . He stands there , helpless. Peter is still scared out of his pants , and to think he was brave one around here. Lucy is staring at me with pity and Susan's just dismayed. I hate myself , what was I doing ? I look at Peter and he's standing there . Not knowing what to do.

I'm not gonna cry .

I'm not gonna cry.

I'm not gonna cry.

I look up to find the Pevensies looking at the sky. I look up.

Fire.


	6. A Lesson

**A LESSON **

The sky has turned to the visual form of Lava. It looks like a gaping hole that's flowing out energy and the ground shakes with the weight of the sky. It feels like something in that muted fire in the sky has a big , beating heart . And its thundering the ground . All this feels like something out of a movie . A very creepy , horror movie.

I've never felt so terrified in my life. My legs were numb , my eyes narrowed due to the bright illumination in the sky and my heart , like a pump , sucking in and out so fast I was shaking . The most horrifying bit : We felt no heat , though it looked like a doorway to hell in the sky , it was like the heat was muted. Being prevented. We all felt this. It was the thundering ground that gave it away. Were we in a muted hell ? Because that would make sense . This , not knowing , just doesn't . I tear my eyes away from the sky to observe everybody else's reactions because this is worthy of crapping one's pants.

Lucy clung to Susan , breathing heavily . Both their eyes big with astonishment . Edmund stared with his mouth open and I had a sudden urge to go close it , he just looked so ... surprised , it was annoying. Peter had the same childish ' mommy-look-a-spider ' look on his face and he was physically shaking , like me.

" Do not be alarmed , I come in peace . " A voice thundred from the sky , so loud , I couldn't hear the loud thuding of my heart. I searched the sky for something , anything that could be the cause of this voice . But it was just the gaping , burning hole it was coming from. Peter straightened , a look of courage replaced his previously horrified one .

" Who speaks ? " Peter called out loudly .

" It is me , dear son , Aslan . " The voice spoke again. And I recognized the authority in the voice. It was Aslan , the man who brought ( sent ? ) me here. I was suddenly very hopeful and gave Edmund a reassuring look . Edmund knitted his eye-brows as though asking me , ' Are you OK ? ' . I gave him a tight-lipped nod . Lucy and Susan had relaxed and had joined Peter in the clearing ahead . All three of them looking at the sky , with eyes full of questions . Edmund and I began walking towards them , slowly . The atmosphere was suddenly relieved .

" Aslan ! Oh , we've been so lost here.. you've come to help us ? " Lucy squealed and Edmund and I twitched at the high pitch of her voice . Susan held my hand as all of us looked to the sky for answers .

" No , dear one . You all need to learn something , and this - " he paused - " is the place where you will prove youself as the kings and Queens of Narnia . " The voice declared.

" You mean to say we're being punished ? " Susan gasped.

" Kings and Queens of Narnia ? I live in a two roomed house , on Earth ! My ass , ain't a royal one ! " I screamed at the sky. Peter shot me a glare and Edmund smirked . Susan squeezed my hand .

" You don't talk to Aslan like that , he's the Almighty one . " Lucy whisper-yelled to me . I instanlty regretted my words , I had blown any chances of getting back home now . My heart sank and I looked at the ground with embaressed tears pooling in my eyes. Why was I so rude ?

" There is a difference between learning a lesson and being punished , Susan . And I stand corrected when I say you are all Royalty , Riva . You'll find out in time. " The sky shook.

I bit my lip and wiped at my tears . Why am I being so weak ? I never cry , almost never. I never lash out in rudeness unless necessary . As long as I could remember , I've been trying to make myself happy and something , just something would come up to piss me off. When I'm finally happy.. I'm ruining this for me.

I've always assumed that happiness always comes to those who ignore the world and enjoy who they are . I just can't get those complications out of my mind. Even at a time like this , I was thinking about the time when a few guys mugged me while I was coming back from school. They took everything , my phone , wallet , scripts ( I enjoy writing ) , my books and my bag . But that wasn't the thing that saddened me . They forced me to give them the necklace ,which was gold , that my grandmother had gifted me.I know that sounds competely made up but grandmothers are a special gift from God , they're old and nice and know exactly what to do in tricky situations.. but she'd never told me about these. I'd never seen such harsh gestures. They pushed me , hit me and left me alone in the alley in broad daylight. I was lucky they were only interested in material things. Or else.

I shuddered at the memory when Mum and Dad had asked me the details ... and the moments at the Police station. That event had definitely scarred me. Or the time when the teacher accidently locked me in the class. So what I leave a little late ? can't just go around locking people ! I was found 4 hours later when I broke the classroom window with my flats , just enough to flail my hand around so Zara could see me . Those were the most lonely 4 hours of my life . . They made me think : If you have no one that takes care of you , nobody that loves you , you're a prisoner until you die . And when I came here , this barren place , my only fear was that I'd end up alone. I haven't realized that I am the lucky one in this situation. Why do I do this ? Why ?

The questiones kept whizzing through my head , almost as fast as the tears came down. There was silence . Just the quiet sniffling. My sniffling. I knew the sky had darkened because the thundering of the ground had stopped. The pressure , it was gone. Aslan had left us. With no real explanations to why we were here. Susan let go my hand , and I collasped on to the ground , in a fetal postion . Just wanting to block out everything .

In a haste , she got me up and rocked me in a hug. She knew I was troubled. I wondered if she'd ever felt that way . Everything was eerily quiet . I hugged Susan one last time and let go. Peter came and sat in front of me , beside him sat Edmund . Lucy sat next to me and Susan . Without even realizing it , we had sat ourselves in a circle.

" You're with us , alright ? No one's going to hurt you. We'll protect you. " Peter said to me in a firm but soothing voice . He looked at me with eyes that looked like they've seen alot but everything turned out okay. He smiled and stroked my hair , leaving me with numb , hot trickles of his finger tips. I nodded and gave Lucy a smile. I avoided male contact , its just who I am. But it took me by surprise when Edmund put an arm around me and sort of pulled me into an electrical hug. Followed by him was Susan , after her Lucy and then Peter took us all in. And it was the most intimate moment of my journey there. So many emotions , five people , five stories. One and United.

After that , we promised we'll go through what ever this was , together .


	7. The Adaptation

**The Adaptation ~**

**Author's Note : Readers , I am truly sorry for not uploading. I don't know , I just lost hope in the story when I know it promises so much. So no matter if nobody reads this , no matter if it doesn't get any attention , I will keep on writing . Because ,to me , this is an incredible plot in my head and I want the outcome to be incredible too. So , ladies and gentlemen : Chapter 7 of Underworld ~ **

It has almost been a week since I surfaced here. This place with no real name . This place , where I met the four most complicated people of my life. And people said the 40s were simpler. Huh. Peter, Edmund , Lucy and Susan might find me eccentric but they are oddest bunch of teenagers I've met. I mean , Susan doesn't want to talk about boys ; she's ' shy ' as she puts it . Lucy has enormous amount of interest in the structure and usage of blades. She's obessesed . She carries around 3 different kinds of them. Peter does not like wrestling . Period . He doesn't know a tackle from a headbutt . Weird , super weird . And lastly Edmund is the odd one out . Personality wise , one wouldn't think he's brothers with the Pevensies because he's so easy to talk to . If he'd been a girl , we'd be besties. Although I've never had a ' bestie ' but I'm pretty sure a female Edmund would be my type of bestie. Its just so bizzare , Susan is supposed to be obsessed with the long conversations of brown-haired , green-eyed guys , lop-sided grins , rough manly hair and six packs ! Lucy should be all princessy and Peter should be a tough brute with a soft side . And Edmund , oh , Edmund should be the reserved , mysterious types who don't talk to girls younger than them and end up falling in love with them . Thank God he's not or I would've been so lost . And so confused . These people have really opened my eyes to better younger personalities. Back home all my friends were hormonal teenagers wanting to rip each others clothes off or kick off with drugs or just get involved in some cliche'd drama. These people are a breath of fresh air for me . A new experience . I'm sure you've heard people saying when they first met their beloved friends , they felt that ' they have known them their whole life ' but for me these four people are four different seasons . So intriguing yet so different and new. So new , its almost exciting to be stuck in a dark and scary place just to get to know them .

But ofcourse , I'll never admit that to them .

" What are you thinking about ? " Peter asked as we were lying on the soft , black rocks for a nap. Even though , we never need food or water to carry on , sleep is the one thing that's still intact in our systems . But never more than 4 hours , and after that we can go without sleep for about 2 days . But we still atleast try to act human and sleep twice every 12 hours . Yes , it was my idea.

" You people . " I replied mysteriously . I liked messing with their heads , especially Peter's because he's always so honest.

" Good thoughts , I hope . " Peter said , shifting his head to face me .

" Very deep , yes . " I replied honestly .

" Thinking about me ? " Peter said with a clumsy smirk . Its times like these when Peter turns cheesy I think he's not so sensitive.

I made a face at him indicating ' Fat chance , loser . '

" Thinking about ... Lucy ? " He said , still smirking .

" Nope . " I replied .

" About Edmund ? " He kept on asking , unconsciously .

" Yes . " I said.

" What ? " He snapped his attention back to me from playing with a stone .

" Yes . " I repeated .

" What you doing thinking about my younger brother ? " he asked . Curiosity radiated from his features . His eyes narrowed , brows raised and his mouth did a little pout. Its interesting how he put his question ,almost , as if , wanting to deem Edmund inferior .

" I was thinking " I started , carefully choosing my words , " If Edmund had been a girl , he'd be my best friend . Its weird that he's so easy to talk to , where I come from , guys aren't so easy to talk to. "

I looked up to the dark sky , flexing my fingers . Also , I was calculating Peter's reaction . He was quiet and thoughtful .

" Good for you . " he said sincerely . " But the thing is , he's a boy . So what does that make him now ? " he asked hesitantly .

" A friend and a guy to talk to. " I said , smiling as I watched Edmund braid Lucy's hair. Such love for his sibilings , most of the guys back are supposedly embarresed to even hug their sisters and mothers . What even ? Edmund caught me staring and flashed me a knowing smile , automatically a light smile played on my lips . Its impressive , he isn't even embaressed I'm watching him braid Lucy's hair . Weird , super weird.

" Hey , look at me . " Peter interupted my thoughts.

" Huh ? " I asked and blinked in surprise .

" I was thinking that we should really move toward the east , that's where most of the hails are directed from . So , tomorrow we'll be treking by those big cliffs . " He said pointing to a general eastern direction but I was too lazy to get my head up to actually acknowledge the view.

" Alright ? " He said nudging my shoulder with his.

" What ever you say Peter , I'm no good with this stuff . I could get lost even if you ask me to walk straight . " I said.

" I won't , trust me , you'll always have one of the Pevensies to keep you sane. " he said , smiling.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. What Peter just said , summed up my pathetic wish to not to be alone .

" I hope I do Peter , " I said , opening my eyes and looking at him. " I hope I do. "

And with that I drifted off to sleep. 

**Author's Note : **

**This chapter was basically giving you a piece of what Riva really thinks but wouldn't ever discuss with the Pevensies. This is important because she's a character of variable personalities and confiding with herself is rare. Thanks for sticking with me . :-) **


	8. The Show

**THE SHOW **

The hails were of course big blows of wind but they brought no harm with them . No cold, no heat, no nothing. They were pretty usual around here and we had grown accustomed to them until Peter suggested we trek towards the cliffs in the eastern direction of the hails. Around that time, it was a splendid idea. "Peter's a genius." , " Peter saved us, Aslan would've wanted this."

Yes , the last one was from Lucy. Edmund and I made no comment but secretly I know Edmund was as pleased as me. But the truth was : Peter was an Idiot.

" Can you go any faster, Riva , you're always so slow ! " Edmund moaned from ahead. We had been treking upwards for around thirty minutes now and although I wasn't tired , technically I can't get tired , I felt bored of the idea of just treking up , up and well , up .

" Sorry ! I can't help it , my weak future legs can't compare to the lot of you aliens . " I huffed and caught up to Edmund , hanging onto his arm for dear life because now if i fall down , its quite a fall . I looked back down and my gaze landed on the black ground. Not coal , not carbon. Its just black, soil and earth.

" Oi ! That was offensive. " Susan shouted from way ahead and I could hear her laugh with Lucy and Peter. How did they get ahead so fast ? I guess I am slow and I'm dragging back Edmund with me . But that's what I've been doing for the past week. Walking, running, jogging and trailing behind Edmund and the lot. I've come to terms with my mind that this place is real and I'm not mad. Not yet anyway.

Still clinging to Edmund I trudged along in silence. It was getting harder and harder to trek upwards, we were almost to the top of the cliff. The hails were getting stronger and Edmund struggled against me so I let go of him and tried to walk on my own. Key word : Tried.

I fell back onto the ground so hard ( and mind you , on my face ) that my nose started to bleed and the pain , like I'd known , was ten times worse than what I would've felt on earth. I'd learned that the hard way when I scratched my hand on a sharp rock and it felt like my hand was literally cut off from my body. I guess it has something to do with our systems changing. While we're not eating or drinking , our body must've grown accustomed to perfection and when that's triggered , it hurts like bananas. No , I won't say hell, I believe we're in it.

I tried standing but the hails were getting even more stronger. I could hear Lucy screaming something ahead but couldn't make anything out. Two figures loomed ahead of me but my vision was blurred by my tears of pain. The usual. I couldn't see, I couldn't stand , I couldn't hear and I was dying of pain. Yup , definitely the usual. Suddenly a hand shot out in front of me and even in my blurred vision I could make out a body attached to it. Genius me. I grasped it and the person half carried and half dragged me out of a hail storm to peaceful ground. The hails were still blowing but me and the person lay face down on the ground covering out ears until the shrill wind toned down into a whistle. I was still bleeding and when I got up I could see the black earth absorbing my maroon blood. That wasn't natural. I quickly looked around to find Peter , now sitting beside me and Susan, Lucy and Edmund stirring up , ahead.

" You're cute when you're bleeding. " Peter said looking tiredly at me with a broken smile. Laughing I offered him a hand and he started getting up. But then I let go and he hit the ground with a thud.

" Oi, that hurt . " He said grumpily.

" Yeah ? Well , I'm cruel when I'm dying. " I said and tore off a piece from Peter's fabric and held it to my nose which was still bleeding and I wasn't feeling nauseuos at all but cranky due to the pain. Peter patted me on the back as he stood up and helped me clean up my face. With all the black soil and blood , I must've looked far from cute.

" Riva ! Peter ! If you both are done flirting you should come and have a look at this. " Edmund shouted from ahead. Lucy, Susan and Edmund were standing on the edge of the cliff. Atleast I thought it was the edge. I suspected Lucy or Susan would've snickered or giggled at Edmund's remark but they were just standing and staring down below. Edmund motioned us to come forward. We did and then what we say was out of this world. Really , this kinda thing only happens to be on earth, what's it doing here ?

It was familiar. Rides, tents, small stands, bigger tents, displays, a miniture railway line and cart and a sign board that said ,

_**"**_ _**Votre côté sombre" **_

I suspected it was French but couldn't work out the translation momentarily. Although I wish I had. As for the place, it had a word, It was on the tip of my tongue. A fair ? No.. no. Um, A ... Ci-

" Its a Circus. " Lucy whispered and looked at me. Yes ! Yes ! That's what this is , the rides, the tents and all of this made sense. Except, this circus was deserted. Not a soul in sight.

" You do know what a Circus is , right ? Because you're from the future and all maybe you don't . So basically, its kind of travelling entertainm- " Edmund rambled on beside me until I cut him off.

" I _know _what a circus is , Edmund. " I said plainly. I was freaking out inside. I was terrified. Glued to my place. All of the others were quietly discussing whether we should go down or not but I wasn't listening. The tents, there were shadows inside of it. Inhuman shadows. But I could be wrong. Or I could be right. The hair standing on the back of my neck were telling me I was right. Goosebumps sprouted up my arms and I shivered. I lowered my hand from my nose. It had stopped bleeding suddenly. I took Edmund's hand.

" Lets go. " I said to him. He looked at me and made a face.

" Are you alright ? You look kind of - " Edmund said.

" Freaked out ? I am . But I'd be an idiot if I don't go down there when I've come this far." I said to him.

" Okay we'll go down if you stop cutting me off. " Edmund mumbled. I laughed nervously and let go of his hand.

" Lets go then . Lets go watch the show. " Peter said humoursly . We all smiled at his little joke. But being human had never been such a disadvantage. Never had the urge to discover been so deadly. Curiousity will kill the cat.

We humans.

Stupid, stupid humans.

Onwards we went to our damnation.


	9. Your dark side

**Author's Note :**

_**Hey , so sorry for leaving a cliffhanger back there , I know how frustrating it is .( This Doctor Who season is taking longer to download so I'd rather write something than mope around ) . As for what NarnianFairy asked me about the pairings. I'd rather keep things interesting. You have to figure out yourselves. All in due time. XD - Well , enough rambling, back to the story and thankyou for reading and reviewing . It means the world to me . Please do review this chapter too. **_

_**P.s : Shout out to both NarnianFairy and EmpireOfFiction.**_

**YOUR DARK SIDE**

Treking down the cliff was alot easier than treking up. Less ' falling and bleeding ' . Well, with a little help from Edmund. As always.

Still it was a 40 minute trek downward and conversation was awkward between Edmund and I. Whenever I started talking about something , he would have this annoyed look on his face which made things odd. Still, that doesn't stop me from talking.

" You like watching a circus ? " I asked him , trying to make conversation and also aiming to figure out why he's so annoyed,

" Maybe. " He retorted , almost rudely. I cowered of my pace with him. I fell back to Lucy and Susan , not sure of what I did to piss him off. He's different when he's angry, he's awkward.

Reaching the end of the cliff, we were looking around for further signs of life. The sign was bold and proud ahead of us. I uncounciously wondered about the translation. The air down here had a different atmosphere, thick and uncertain. Slowly we made our way inside , crossing under the sign-board. Peter led the party, like always. We crossed different shop-like stands that were very old and graying. Signs indicating they must've sold something. Broken rides and scattered cotton candy sticks passed our vision.

The tents were just a few steps ahead but we stopped to explore. Light conversation flowed with Susan and I as we observed a toy doll lying on the dirt. We talked about dolls we used to play with when we were young. She told me about the rag-dolls she tried to sew but always pricked her fingers. I told her about Barbie. We laughed at the ridiculousness of Blonde-Blue-eyed dolls. Lucy came to join us after exploring a bit with Edmund, who happened to be in a better mood now that Lucy had cheered him up. I internally snorted at that thought.

Lucy came and stood beside me and Susan. I still had the toy doll in my hand that we were previously observing. It was actually very pretty, it had short brown, tangled hair. All fuzzy. And it had the cutest nose and wide , painted green eyes. It was better than any Barbie I'd seen. The dress it wore was dirty and rough but we could clearly make out a red color. It was such a beautiful thing in such a horrific place. I turned and showed it to Lucy. She gave out a little squeal and took the doll in her hands, regarding it carefully. She caressed its fuzzy hair with her delicate fingers. She had this distant look in her that I did not like and she went on caressing the doll and queitly observing it. Susan was unfazed by Lucy's unusual actions. Peter came up behind me to look at what Lucy was holding, he smiled warmly at her and then turned his eyes to me. With that same smile on his face, he looked at me. For the first time, I felt part of family. I had family back home, but no siblings. How am I supposed to feel the family vibe without a real family. Its not anybody's fault.

I shyly returned that smile, feeling somewhat connected to protecting Lucy. Even though she was only a year younger than me, the mental differece was way more. I was much more older in my mind. and these people knew that. I looked away from Peter , looking for Edmund. I found him next to Peter. Looking at the ground like it was the oddest thing in the world. Well , it was. Nevermind. He looked like he'd been caught staring or something. Anyways, sidestepping Peter I nudged him with my hand. He shrugged it off. I did it again and then he took hold of my hand and yanked me forwards.

" Stop. Okay ? Just stop pretending that you care what I think. " He whispered coldly. I looked at him and then at his fingers that were on my wrist.

" What are you talking about ? What's got you so pissed off ? " I asked him honestly.

" Language .. " Peter warned from behind me. Clearly he hadn't heard what Edmund said.

" I'm not sure. Maybe its the fact that you're being so clingy ! " Edmund whisper-yelled at me. This made me angry.

" Well, excuse me for being a friend . I don't know what's got you so ticked off but I trust you enough to tell me what's wrong with me ?! " I shouted at him. I know sarcasm doesn't really pay off but he made me so angry , I questioned his friendship with me. Maybe he was just being nice and now I might have gone too far and annoyed him. Is it my fault ? But he was so frank with me. I was truly puzzled at this point. Peter , Susan and Lucy were all alert now. Susan not daring to interrupt us , Lucy silently asking us to stop yelling and Peter stared coldly at Edmund, his eyes issuing a queit but deadly warning. But Edmund was too overwhelmed to look anywhere else but the white blotches that appeared before his vision. Edmund had shown his true colors.

" Stop ! Stop ! Stop trusting me. I'll betray you all. Again. " He yelled in a strained voice. Pausing after each sentence to gain his posture.

" Maybe .. maybe if you stayed away from me and with him , this won't be too hard. Maybe .. maybe .. just stay away from me. I'll hurt you. Like I hurt everyone else. Stop. Stop. " He sobbed and yelled and assumed.

I wasn't sure who he was talking to because his eyes were glazed. He was staring off into space and crying and sobbing and yelling.

It broke my heart but I couldn't even move. It broke my heart and I felt it again. Pain.

Peter, Lucy and Susan were all trying to help him. With words and with their arms, trying to embrace the sad frenzy out of him. I couldn't move, my hands trembled and I just watched as the next scene unfolded in front of me.

At one point Edmund got up and staggered back to one of the tents. Sobbing and grabbing the fabric of the tent. He was having a breakdown. Hiccuping , he hushed down , focusing on something far off. We watched him. He then slowly turned his head toward us. His face that was streaked with tears but he wasn't crying anymore. A small smile graced his lips as he stood up and said these words :

" So insecure . "

He looked at me for a moment and then as if something lost balance inside of him , he fell back into the tent. He was inside it and my heart jumped to my throat as I remembered the inhuman shadows in the tent. Insticntively , we all ran to the tent. Me too. But there was no one in the tent. It was empty except for little metal box. Hastliy , Susan ran to it and opened it.

" What is in it ? " Peter asked , his breathing hitched.

" Turkish delights. " She whispered so slowly , it was barely audible. I blinked several times.

" What ? " I asked. Peter froze beside me , his eyes betraying his blank composure. They held fear.

" And a note . " Susan said . She took out a rustling paper from the box and showed it to us. It said :

_ENJOY THE SHOW ._

Suddenly , the atmosphere became thicker. Fear bounced off the walls of the tent. Lucy backed out and went outside , muttering something inaudible . Susan ran after her. I went forward and looked at the small pastries called Turkish delights. They were fresh.

_So Insecure_

_So Insecure_

He said it to me. He said it for me. How could he know I thought it was my fault ? But. It wasn't my fault. Blinking back tears I looked at Peter. He had sunk to his knees.

" He was just a little boy when he did it. He didn't know it would be dangerous. What kid doesn't want turkish delights." Peter said and smiled, looking at the box.

" He led the White Witch to us , to Aslan , without even knowing it. He was just a kid. He nearly died in the battle afterwards. He is a true soldier. He always hated himself for what he did. " Peter said gravely. I slowly nodded my head in understanding. Is that why Edmund wanted us to stop trusting him ? What possessed him? I was going ask the same question from Peter when Susan screamed outside. Quickly scrambling to our feet we ran outside . Susan was outside another tent. Her eyes wide in horror.

No. No. Not her too. Why ? No. She's here. Somewhere.

But in that tent , we saw the toy doll. The one Lucy had. And an empty tent.

Realizing what this means, my head snapped to the sign-board . Susan and Peter stared at me in sudden confusion.

" The .. the sign. It means, uh... it means " I tried explaining but the words would not come out.

Peter grabbed my arm and shook it , not exactly calming me down.

" What ? What does it mean ? " he asked , still lightly shaking me.

" Your dark side. " Susan said . She looked at the sign and then at us.

" It means , ' Your dark side ' . " She repeated .

Now , there are 3 of us left.

_**Author's Note : **_

_**So ? Do you like it ? Does it give you the shivers ? No ? Yes ? Review ! **_

_**Next chapter would be even more thrilling.**_


	10. Beware of the shadows

_**Author's Note :**_

_**Heyo. Another chapter ! Yay me ! ( Remember, London from ' The suite life of Zack and Cody ' used to say that ? ) I hope you've been enjoying the story so far. If you have any questions about the story, you can PM me anytime. And I'd love it if everybody who reads this ( Yes, you ! ) drops a review because they really help me with my writing and plot and self-confidence. I know I don't update alot ( Don't hate me ) but I'm planning on finishing this fic so I'll be posting more often. Promise. If you notice any mistakes, point them out. I check for mistakes but there's always that one teency one that remains uncorrected. So, here you go. CHAPTER 10 . ( I still can't believe it I've made it this far ).**_

_**Beware Of the Shadows**_

Hands shaking , I placed myself on the ground. I have to think. Or it will devour us too. Just like Edmund.. and Lucy. Edmund was the most vulnerable of us because he had a disturbing past. Whatever the reason that brought it up in his mind , in this exact place and that exact moment , it revealed his dark side. Meaning , the part of him that he's ashamed of and regretted since he led Jadis ( The White Witch ) to his family.

The being that was playing this cruel game with us was not human. I was sure of it. And it made sure we knew its presence. Dozens of disfigured shadows darted around us, In the tents , behind stands and flitted across the broken rides. The circus was alive. But in a more discreet way.

Lucy was taken from us. That poor, poor child. Her heart cheated over her mind when she saw the toy doll. I saw it in her eyes. I saw it in her eyes when she looked at Susan. She wished she could be as beautiful as Susan. Or as perfect as a doll. She had all the right reasons. Being the youngest , I doubted that Peter and Edmund would've allowed her to be around boys her age. And when Susan courted many Lords and Knights, I suspected her heart lurched for attention too. She was a girl, after all. I'm glad I didn't see Lucy break down into tears. Susan did and she didn't understand it. Susan said Lucy was clutching the doll and backing away to the tent, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. I was glad Peter didn't see it. He didn't have the heart to see her sister cry. And that's why when Susan started sobbing silently, he took her into his protective arms and rocked her. We were aware of the shadows, just too depressed to acknowledge them. We mourned Edmund and Lucy. In our hearts we knew this was our end too. But I wouldn't let this happen.

" Peter and Susan, now listen to me very carefully. You have nothing to hide. Nothing to confess. You are King and Queen. You said so yourself. You will act like one and nothing , I repeat , NOTHING is going to faze you guys, you're badass, ok ? You have nothing to be ashamed of , the past is what made you what you are. Do not let your suspicions and fear and insecurities overtake you. Please. You're all I have... ". I said to them , trying to make them understand that we were not being targeted physically. The Shadows fed on our insecurities. Edmund had not reffered to me earlier, he hinted us even though he was being devoured inside out. The sly smile he gave us before disappearing into the tent was a huge giveaway that it wasn't him anymore.

Peter took me in his embrace and curled a hand in my hair. Susan hugged me from behind.

" Don't give in. " I whispered to them.

I don't know how long we sat there. Our blank eyes surveying the tents and the abandoned yard. The sky , as black as ever. The only milky light came from the greyer clouds. The shadows danced . We succeeded in avoiding insecure and questionable thoughts. Only letting our minds wonder about Lucy and Edmund and their whereabouts. We didn't leave the abandoned site because we had hope we would find them. We can't just leave them behind.

Susan was the first to stand up and search the tents from inside. Then Peter. I finally stood up and made a pathetic attempt at searching a tent, my heart thumping loud in my ears. All forbidden thoughts rushing back into my mind. I didn't last in the tent 10 seconds, I came out of tents like I'd just run a marathon. Breathless and frazzled. Thoughts all over the place. The shadows followed us , tent after tent. Peeling paper signs after decaying metal stands. I had never been so afraid in my life. My eyes twitched when ever I saw a Shadow, my breath hitched and my heart strangled out beats. Susan was fear less. She threw open a tent curtain after another, muttering curses.

Peter was braver than I had pinned him for. Spending whole minutes in tents and coming out unfazed. Its like how Edmund told me once,

" Once a king or Queen of Narnia. Always a King or Queen. "

I was witnessing something mystical yet elegant. I was witnessing Royalty.

I joined Susan at a tent far ahead from the stalls. We both looked at each other and then took deep breaths. We raised the curtain. Empty tent. A mixture of relief and sadness passed over Susan's face. We moved to the next tent, this time Peter joining us. We looked inside the tent and found a grey puddle of something on the black ground. I don't why but Peter drew his sword. Susan tentatively took a step forward. We neared it cautiously. It was just a patch of grey nothingness. Peter tried to poke it with his sword but the sword went right through, like it was a portal. The greyness shifted. It was somewhat familiar.

" What is it ? " Peter finally asked.

" Portal ? " I offered. Susan shook her head.

" Portals can only be opened with clean magic, not the dark one that flows through here. " Susan muttered darkly.

" If I was being my random , crazy self , I'd say it was the sky. " I said , as I watched the greyness shift like clouds.

Susan scoffed.

" The sky ? On the ground ? Be serious Riva. " Susan said in an annoyed tone. I rolled my eyes. Peter looked at me funny and then he was looking at me wide-eyed. Oh-kay. This was awkward.

" Are you Okay , Peter ? " I asked, getting worried.

He grabbed my shoulders excitedly and planted a kiss on my left cheek. Now I was the one looking at him wide-eyed.

" Riva ! You're right. It is the sky. Look. " He said , signalling behind me where there was big hole in the tent. The view was the sky which had a small and distinct black hole in it. Like a piece of it was missing. I looked at the sky and the grey clouds around it. And then at the ground where a piece of the sky was beside my feet.

" What ? " I scoffed with disbelief. I grinned at Peter and he grinned back. I felt like Sherlock Homles and Peter was my John Watson. Being ridiculously happy over a devastating discovery. So Sherlock.

The sky was on the ground. Get serious.

" That isn't possible , you two ! " Susan brought us back to the situation.

" But it is. Just look. " I told her.

" I refuse to believe it. It isn't logically possible . " Susan declared.

" In case you haven't noticed , tents swallowing up people isn't logically possible either. " I retorted.

Susan's eyes turned dangerous.

" Calm down , you both. Fighting will get us nowhere. Lets just get out of this tent. " Peter said pulling me and Susan by the arms and out of the tent.

" I refuse to believe it. " Susan muttered bitterly, getting out of the tent.

" So do I "

I turned to look at Peter. Was he mocking Susan? Speaking in a feminine voice. But my puzzeled look quickly turned into a fearsome one when I realised Peter hadn't said those words. He was looking at the tent now , like me. The voice had come from the tent. But there was just a piece of the sky in there. Jesus , I sound insane.

Susan rushed past me and Peter and opened the tent curtain with a flourish.

My mouth hung open. Peter's hand slipped into my waist and he pulled me close. Tightly. He didn't believe it either. We went into shock.

Another Susan stood inside the tent. Our Susan outside it , holding the curtain. Susan looked at Other Susan. Susan almost had a panic attack when Other Susan spoke again.

" You don't believe those two idiots do you ? " Other Susan asked Susan.

" I... I.. " Susan stuttered.

" Excuse me ? " I managed to say.

" You don't actually think there's a piece of the sky in the ground , right ? " Other Susan only talked to Susan. Susan was gobsmacked, staring wide-eyed at her replica. Same clothes, same blue eyes and same black hair.

" Yes , yes. I don't believe any of this. " Susan chanted.

" What ? And you believe that there's another YOU standing in that tent ? " Peter asked Susan angrily. trying to bring sense into her.

" Come in here, you. " Other Susan said and smiled like the devil. Then she yanked Susan into the tent before Peter could grab her. Peter ran after her into the tent , I could hear a sorrowful scream echo around us.

" No-ooo! " It was Peter.

I didn't go into the tent. Peter came out , he was a mess. His blond hair all over the place. His face stained with tears and his blue eyes, bloodshot.

" I only saw a Shadow. " Peter told me in a strained voice and I nodded curtly. Susan was gone too. The horrible thing was that this time, The Shadows manipulated their victim. There was no screaming and crying this time.

Just pure evil.

Peter came to me and hugged me. A needful hug. Not a protective one or a warm one. It was a vulnerable one. He cried into my neck, snuggling due to my short height. My body going into instant hysterics but I ignored that and returned the hug. Peter pulled back and slipped his hand into my brown hair. He looked at me with a broken look on his face.

" Don't leave me. " He whispered. I placed my hands on either sides of his cheeks.

" I won't . " I told him with all honesty. I did not pity this man before me. Our feelings were mutual. We were scared silly.

" I knew there would come someday when I wouldn't be able to protect them. I knew I wasn't fit to be a king after all. I'm not worth it. " Peter whispered quickly . He was looking behind me.

" What are you- " I started but he cut me off.

" I didn't deserve the title. I'm not the Magnificent. I'm the pathetic. I can't even take care of my own family. " Peter shook with rage as said this. His grip on my hair tightened. Instinctively I slipped out of his grip and pushed him. I was scared of the look his face had taken upon. But I didn't see what I actually did.

I pushed him towards a tent.

He staggered back and I ran to bring him back .

I was too late.

Edmund was gone.

Lucy was gone.

Susan was gone.

Peter was gone.

I was counting them off in my head. All of the Pevensies were gone. The shadows all around me started flitting quickly. This tent to the other.

I was alone. All alone.

I walked into the tent. Maybe I'll find someone there. I can't be alone.

_**Author's Note : **_

_**Review ? **_


	11. Narnia? Narnia!

_**Narnia ? Narnia ! **_

They sting, the drops of liquid that drop on me occassionally. The ceiling of the box I'm in is raw metal and rotting away. I'm trapped here. I'm hungry and I'm thirsty. My legs ache. My sight's blurred by tears. I'm so alone. I'm not used to this cold and hard surface beneath me. I'm used to the believable thudding of Edmund's feet and the black ground. Where is that black ground? Where is Edmund ? Where did they all go? I can't believe how much I miss them, its ridiculous. If only Susan was here to smack some sense into me. If only Lucy was here to laugh it off. If only Peter was here to calm me down. If only.

I've been here for 5 hours. Screaming my head off in the first two. Heat-butting the metallic walls for the other two. And then crying my eyes out for the past hour. Nothing seems to matter. The Shadows have captured me too, I know it. I woke up in this cage. I'm surrounded only by metal walls and the ceiling's a bit cracked but its too high. The dripping liquid makes eerie sounds and its acidic, piercing through my skin. My body has gone back to normal. And by that I mean that I can feel all the hunger, thirst and fatigue. I'm dying alone.

" _I think, you're fine. You really blow my mind. Maybe, someday, You and me and run away - " _

Its my rigntone. I quickly fumble for my cell and look at the caller I.D.

" _I just want you to know, I can be your Romeo. Hey juliet... Hey Hey Juliet .. - "_

I answer the unknown number hesitantly.

" He- Hello ? " I rasp into my phone.

" - how does this thing work? - "

" - said something about a signal- "

" Lucy ! Stop flapping your hand ! You're not supposed to signal AT the device - " I recognized all their voices and a yelp of joy escapes from my lips.

" Guys ! Guys, its ok. I can hear you. Oh my god, you have no idea how long I've been in this box, please, please come get me out. I'm so , so scared. " I quickly say into the phone.

" Riva ! Thank Aslan you're alright ! We were worried sick. " Lucy screams into my ears. Wait. What are they calling from ?

Various shouts of concern are thrown my way but I'm too confused to pay attention.

" Riva , just stay calm. Tell me where you are and me and Peter will come to get you, Ok ? " Edmund says soothingly. I can hear Peter agreeing in the back.

" Wait, did you say a box? Does it happen to be a big metallic box? Very very big? " Susan asks in the background.

" Yes. " I almost squeak. " How- how are you guys even talking to me? How do you know about the box ? " I ask.

The wall behind my back starts moving and I jump up to my feet. It starts to open, like a door and a gust of fresh air fills my lungs.

" Like this. ", says Edmund. He was standing outside the box. Peter, Lucy and Susan were with him. I smiled so big, my cheeks hurt. I didn't care how they got here. I didn't care how they found me or called. They're here. For me.

" Oh mi gosh YOU GUYS I WAS SO SCARED AND I CRIED AND I SCREAMED ! WERE YOU PEOPLE OUT THERE ALL OF THE TIME , WAIT DON'T ANSWER THAT - " I run towards them screaming and then finally enveloping Edmund in a hug and almost toppled him over. He screamed but held on to me tight. Next, Lucy ran in between us and then we toppled over to the ground. We laughed so hard. There I was lying in the arms of Edmund and Lucy Pevensie and thinking this must be the luckiest day of my life. Susan gave me a hand and brought me to my feet and gave me warm hug.

" I'm sorry. " She whispered into my ear.

" For what ? " I asked, confused.

" For being illogical. " She said and smirked. I gave her another tight hug.

" Enough hugging, I assume. " Peter said to me and Susan.

" But you didn't even get one. " Susan said. I laughed.

" Do you want one? " Peter said to me and Susan with a smirk. We both went over to him and jumped at him. And then Lucy. And Edmund. I think Peter knows what a tackle is now. Its an over-excited hug.

" I missed you people so much. " I told them, lying on top of Peter with Susan beside me and Lucy over me.

" We missed you too ! " Lucy screamed in my ear . I turned around with all intention of strangling her but instead toppled off Peter and onto Edmund. Group-Hugs-that-end-up-being-tackles suck.

" Steady there. " Edmund said . He was holding me from smashing into his face and I gasped out of shock. He let go of me and I got off him and we all returned to normal-standing conditions. The excitment died down a bit. I took this as an opportunity to take in my surroundings. We were in a grassland. There were a few apple trees up ahead and the sun shone down on us. It felt so great to actually feel cold, heat and wind. Behind me was the big metallic box and it was opened wide. It had a red button and a green button.

" How did you call me on my cell? " I asked Edmund. I showed him my cell-phone.

" This was attactched next to the red button on the door " he said pointing at the door and then showing me a Nokia 3310 look alike cell.

" And ? " I prompted him.

" We took this and then magically, you spoke through it and then I pressed the green button on the box door and well you know the rest. " Edmund said.

" Wait, why did you press the green button rather than the red one ? " I asked him. He just shrugged.

" Psht, everyone knows you press the big red button. " I muttered. We went over and looked at the buttons. And as I looked next to the red button, a small screen blinked my number . It was connected to my cell somehow so when Edmund took it out of the casing from the box , it automatically called me.

What the hell is happening?

" I think we're in Narnia but I don't know why _that _thing is here. " Peter said. He was referring to the the giant silver box. I looked around and realized it does look like a mythical land. Rolling, green hills. Enormous and tiny trees, very very radiant sky and many landscape animals. But it might be earth too. Maybe we'll find out if we start moving. But this time,it would be a longer, tiring and slow journey. We're finally human again. I never thought I'd be this happy to feel this strong pang of pain in my legs, my dry and scratched throat and the rumble of hunger in my stomach. How things started towards the forest whose beginning was marked by the apple trees I had seen. We had landed on a clearing much oddly but not the one with the pond that The Pevensies had told me about. They said they were investigating it, oh how indeed things change. Back in the 21st century, we have sceintists and geologists for land and marine inspection. The kings of the past sure had a hard time.

" Come on Riva, we need to keep moving so we can find water. " Peter woke me up from my daydream. I happily moved along with my gang. Yes, I'll call them my gang now. My gang that has rescued me so many times and in so many ways and are there when I need them -

Wait.

Where were they when I needed them most in the first hours of my captivity ?

I look at Peter and he's got this stern look on his face. Weird. I absently wonder why they haven't told me how THEY landed up here.

Susan is exceptionally happy. And Lucy is really fussing about her dress.

Weird.

The last straw was when I thought back to being in Edmund's grasp and him letting me go without any real emotion. And - Susan won't call herself illogical - _**Ever.**_

I looked back to where the silver box was supposed to be and to my utter horror there were four of them. All of them were closed though. As I looked closer , the boxes seemed to be forming a window by themselves at which goosebumps crawled up my arms. They were trapped. Susan,Lucy, Edmund and Peter were all banging on the window inside the silver cages.

Holy mother of Oreos

I glanced back to 'my gang' and they had noticed something was wrong.

Me too.

Running full speed I tried to get away from the Pevensies that were quickly changing into Shadows. I never threw another look at them. I knew this was the test Aslan was talking about. This is what I had to choose between - perfection and reality.

_" What are you going to do clever girl ? You can't win. " _Shadows chanted behind me as I ran towards Lucy's box . Lucy was crying and shouting inaudibly inside and my nerves were at peak. I hesitated before pressing the green button when I heard what the shadows were chanting.

_Choose the Red and you die in peace_

_Loose it all when you choose the Green_

_Death will come If you leave them be_

_Die in pain, The Pevensies_

_When the clever girl chooses the Green_

My hands shook as it hovered over the green button. If I choose the red one , the Pevensies stay safe inside but I die. And if I choose the green one , they die while I watch. I could see Edmund frantically telling me something from his window beside Lucy's. My condition was way beyond panic. Think. Think.

When I got out, Shadow Edmund said he pressed green. That's how I get out. If the Shadows are manipulating me - I shouldn't press the red. I should do exactly what the Shadow Edmund did. Not go for the obvious. Or should I? Only one of the statements are true :

I die - The Pevensies die - ( Red ) *Because the Shadows never leave prisoners. I've seen it.

I die - The Pevensies die - ( Green ) * Who am I kidding I should just push green.

And I pushed the Green button on Lucy's door. Not waiting to see the result I ran and pushed the red button on Edmund's door. The green at Susan's. The red at Peter's.

And I remember nothing after that. Just a big bang. I think Narnia just exploded.


	12. The Island

**Third Person POV:**

"Aslan's orders. " Glenstorm confirmed to the sailors when they had asked if they were to continue even after no success in the previous search.

They all nodded and went back to their appointed tasks. Glenstorm looked onto the horizon turning pink. The sunset always made him feel unaccomplished. Maybe he'll find them tomorrow. His Kings and Queens. The Pevensies.

_You shall sail to the island in between the great seas._

_Where I saved the Narnians, Telmarines _and _the Pevensies_.

_Go, for this_ _is your time to serve. _

_Go, for the Kings and Queens wait with a girl._

This is what he heard in his dream a month ago. The second in command, Glenstorm. Aslan's deep and rumbling voice telling him to go find the Monarchs. They had headed for sea as soon as they could and now after three weeks, they were sailing in the middle of the great ocean, still searching for the Kings and Queens and a girl too. And every day when the sunset, Glenstorm would sigh in disappointment. On those lucky days when they find an island, they would search it of every inch of its grain of sand. They had had no success yet but Glenstorm's hope was strong and ongoing.

He turned to head towards his chambers.

**Back to Riva's POV:**

This time we were on an island. All five of us. All _real _five of us. We had recovered from our blackouts a while ago and were now crisping under the sun.

Aslan has to stop popping us from place to place. This is getting ridiculous. Lucy was the first one to wake up here and then she woke us all up. One by one. When she woke me up, she almost squeezed the eye-balls out of my sockets with a hug. I gave her similar hug until she asked me to let go because she couldn't breathe.

"Pity, I wasn't done, you know. " I had said to her.

Susan had greeted me with a gentle squeeze as opposed to Lucy's. They told me, like myself, they too were trapped in the metallic box. And they saw the whole scene unfold in front of them from their windows. I just couldn't see them. So many weird questions were popping in my head. I had decided to ask them later. Peter had joined our conversation casually after giving me a side-ways hug. I don't know why I blushed. Edmund was his old self. No awkwardness or bluntness. Nada. I had happily welcomed him in my arms and hugged the life out of him. The ecstatic moment when your best friend isn't mad at you for being clingy in an alien planet. I knew this because he nearly choked me with his hug. Ah, friendship.

After our reunion we were just tanning under the sun. Edmund had taken off his shirt which reminded of the first time I met him. I playfully snatched the shirt away from him.

"I'll take this, thank you. " I said to him and waved the shirt in his face. He tried snatching it back I quickly put it on myself. It _was _originally my shirt after all. And then, I ran to where Susan was lying on the smooth sand and plopped down next to her.

"Shoo. Go away. "Susan said without opening her eyes.

"But Edmund is after me!" I told her pleadingly.

"Wasn't he always? " Susan said playfully, opening one eye.

"Psshhtt. You say I'm the one with the dirty mind." I said to her in a mock-serious tone.

"Who's got a dirty mind? " Edmund said from behind me. He had finally caught up with us and now inching his way around Susan. I got up cautiously.

"None of your business Mr. I don't wear long sleeves." I said to him and looked down at the poor state of the sleeves of my red shirt. I kind of liked this shirt. Right now, it must look horrendous on me.

"I don't. In fact, I don't wear a shirt at all." Edmund said. He was looking for a conversation break so he could tickle me. I knew it; I saw it in his mischievous eyes. Ruining his plan, I crouched down and tickled Susan who was oblivious to our little feud. She jumped at the contact and instead of glaring at me; she looked at Edmund like she was going to kill him. That's because I ran away. Poor Edmund. I looked back and saw Edmund throwing me a surprised look. That's right, I outsmarted that little King. Lucy was laughing hysterically because she saw it all happen from only a few meters away while Peter grumpily looked at the sea. I'd say he was tired but he looked more annoyed.

I knew I was still in an unknown place. I knew this is totally insane. I'm acting like this doesn't affect me because I've kind of grown used to unknown environments.

We weren't panicking because this was a decent place. There was food in the sea and we could boil some water. We could live. Peter and Edmund knew all the basic life survival skills and I trusted them like I trust the sun would come up the next day. Abstractly of course. Who knows what batshit island we were on right now with walking palm trees and shape shifting rocks? You might think I'm exaggerating but the fact is, you _know _I'm not.

Lucy thinks its Narnia we're in. But Peter isn't too sure. Me, Edmund and Susan have just stopped caring. We're happy as long as we have each other. Wow, I sound so corny.

"What is that? " Peter asked looking out to the sea with the same grumpy expression.

"Where? " Susan asked. I looked too. There was a tiny black dot on the horizon and it seemed to be moving.

"It's a ship. " Edmund said suddenly. Lucy nodded in awe.

"Is this real? Somebody pinch me." I said to nobody in particular.

I was pushed down to the ground by a shirtless Edmund on top of me. My throat closed up at the contact, a blush threatening to rise.

"Oh, this is very real." Edmund whispered into my ear sending shivers down my spine.


	13. Whispers In The Dawn

_**Whispers In The Dawn **_

" Land Ho ! "

We heard a distant cry from the ship which was quickly nearing the Island we were on. We all were standing by the shore, awaiting the ship and staring agape at the giant water vehicle. Peter's mood was suddenly very cheery and he whispered something about a Glenstorm to Edmund who agreed with him gladly.

" Its our ship. Glenstorm, the second in command after Peter and Edmund, must've went out looking for us because I recognize this ship, we've sailed in it various times to make trade with other nations. " Susan told me.

" Wait, does this mean we're actually in Narnia?" I asked.

" YES ! We're back. We're back, we're back, we're back. By Aslan's mane, we're back. " Lucy screamed loud enough to startle the birds from nearby trees. I chuckled openly with Edmund at her ridiculousness. She was so should never grow older. I'm sure she'd be an amazing mother someday but I can't imagine her ever growing old or being an adult. Her childish ways convey her personality. I'd love to meet the 8 year old Lucy that discovered Narnia back in England. The one child that no body believed in.I can relate to her.

" Look, they're almost here." Edmund told me. " Can I have my shirt back? " he said again and gave me a cheesy grin.

" No playing around with the sleeves. " I warned him before I took it off and handed it to him. He quickly slipped it on and rolled the sleeves all the way up to his elbows. I sighed.

" Why do you need my shirt anyway? You can get one on your stupid ship. " I said to him, clearly annoyed.

" Maybe I just like seeing you in your under garments. " He said huskily and blew hot air on my neck.

Something melted inside of me.

" It- It's an undershirt. " I stuttered back at him, not meeting his eye.

" Either ways, " he said while he leaned in more, " I like it. " His voice dripping with an accent.

I shook my head.

" Stop it." I said to him lightly. He just rolled his eyes and looked ahead at the ship. Why was he being such a flirt lately? Maybe he's just being playful. But he's a different flirt than Peter. Peter's all ' You know you want me ' ( insert eye-roll ) and Edmund's kinda confusing. No. He's just a very playful friend. Besides, I'm not one to lead either of them on.

The ship was finally close enough to observe properly. Many men in dirty white shirts and tattered brown pants were rushing about pulling at ropes and setting floorboards. There were also some fawns gazing at us from the dock. There were about 5 of them and they were wonderful to look at. Half man , half goat. A beautiful creation of God. There was also a great big centuar that seemed to be the commanding general because he was barking out orders to the men.

" Glenstorm ! My faithful sir ! " Peter shouted to the Centuar as he descended down the quickly constructed steps. He thudded up the wet sand to Peter and Edmund who had stepped forward. Glenstorm bowed to both the Kings first and then turned a bit to bow to the Queens. He sent me a curt nod and I awkwardly smiled at him.

" Your Majeties. I've come to rescue you by Aslan's orders. " Glenstorm addressed all of us.

Lucy's eyes widened.

" Do you mean He's back at Cair Paraval, waiting for us? " she asked, a little excited.

" I'm afraid not , my Queen. I saw him in my dream where he told me to find you and a girl. " He said and then looked at me.

Everybody looked at me.

" What? " I asked them all. Glenstorm shook his head as if to clear it and then continued.

" Aslan asked me to sail the seas for you. And here you are, stranded on an Island. I ask you, Your Majesties, how can you go looking for a pond and end up on an Island on the the other side of the Narnian hills? " Glenstorm asked us.

" Its a _very_ long story, sir. We'll have to discuss later. " Peter told him and he nodded in understanding.

" How long has it been since we've been gone? " Edmund asked Glenstorm.

" A little over a month, my King." He answered.

" Why didn't you send out search parties when we did not return from the West Woods? " Susan asked. Her questions are always thoughtful.

" My Queen. Because I saw Aslan in my dream on the same day when you left for the Pond. You were supposed to stay the night at the village. " Glenstorm replied.

" Yes, that makes sene. I remember now." Susan mumbled.

Peter introduced me to Glenstorm as ' Lady Riva ' . He acknowledged me and then asked all of us to board the ship. Me and Lucy boarded first and then followed Susan, Edmund and Peter. The ship was vast and well organized. The men oogled us withoit shame. Peter cleared his throat and addressed them , also introducing me. I did an awkward wave while the men smirked and whispered among themselves. Me, Lucy and Susan were quickly ushered to our chambers. On our way, we passed some fawns who bowed to the Queens and also greeted me with kind words. I smiled at them and was in the process of thanking them when Lucy yanked me inside the room to change.

Our room was big and spacious. There were three seperate bed bunks and a couple of sheets folded on top of each one. The bed looked so inviting, I just wanted to curl into a ball and snuggle in it but Susan sent me into the wash room first. Grumpily I stripped off of my dirty clothes and sunk into the bath. The cold water doinf wonders to my skin. I washed myself with some grainy soap-like bar and when it came to washing my hair, Lucy threw in a vial of fragnant liquid.

" What's this? " I shouted from the wash room after I'd successfully caught the vial without dropping it.

" A solution of rose water and honey. It'll nourish your hair, just try it. Plus, it smells fab. " Lucy said. Some of my slang was rubbing off on her.

I washed my hair with the sticky liquid in the vial and later agreed with Lucy on how 'fab' it smelled. The smell ocupied the whole room ! After I was done, I dried myself off on a fluffy towel which was softer than any I've used back home. I grabbed another one and wrapped it on my hair. I felt so complete. Susan was right on sending me first, or I'd have slept dirty and uncomfortable on the bed before any of Queens had even stripped off of their clothes.

I walked back into the room from the wash room only to shriek and run back inside. Peter and Edmund were sitting in the room discussing something with Susan while Lucy was waiting imaptiently with a towel outside the wash room. I pulled her inside with me. I heard a fit of giggles erupt from Susan and shuffling of feet combined with forced coughs before I was called back into the room by Susan. I glared at Lucy who was already stripping off , she was holding in a laugh. I grabbed my pile of dirty clothes and threw them at her. She was howling with laughter and I joined in while walking out of the wash room. With a floppy grin Susan handed me a night gown. I rolled my eyes and took it from her. It was almost sunset so it was best to sleep now anyways. So I slipped on the night gown and cool and content, sunk into my bed with the sheets rolled around me. Susan bid me a good sleep and I mumbled something back before drifting into deep sleep. Although I did vaguely wake up once when Susan was barking at Lucy to get out of the wash room already. But other than that, it felt like I was finally have a good sleep after weeks of insecurity. Not anymore.

When I woke up, it was still dark. Lucy and Susan were still asleep. I decided I needed to pee. After taking a round of the wash room I slipped outside our chambers. The dock was almost empty. There were two fawns yawning near the big wheel thingy that steers the ship. It was maybe half an hour before dawn because tiny specks of yellow could be seen on the horizon. I moved towards the edge of the ship and gazed down at the quiet, swishing water. The sounds of the sea were so much more audible in the lonliness of the dawn. I heard someone clear their throat behind me. Startled, I looked back to find Edmund in a plain white , night shirt and comfortable trousers. He leaned on the wood railing next to me. For a few minutes, we quietly stared at the water and watched dawn creep up the horizon.

" Did you sleep alright? " Edmund asked, breaking the silence.

" Like a baby. " I replied. " You?"

" Yeah, great." He said. " Tell me, why are you awake right now? "

" I needed to pee."

" Oh. Well, that's convenient because I needed to ask you something."

I snorted at his choice of words before looking at him to go on.

" Do you want to live with us? " he asked.

" What do you mean? " I asked another question instead of answering one.

" When we go back to the Palace, " he said, swishing his messy hair out of his face, " do you want to stay with us? "

" Where else would I go? I've never been here before. " I replied carefully. Does he want me to part ways? Live away from them? Like a common narnian? The thought alone made me shiver because -

I can't be alone.

" No, I just thought you'd want a small place by yourself. But I'm glad you want to stay with us." Edmund said. I sighed in relief.

" But , " I said, catching his attention, " do you want me to stay away from the palace? Because I totally understand. The questions that'll be raised, suspicions and then you and Peter might have difficuti- "

" No! No. I mean, its fine. You should stay with us. For safety.. reasons. " edmund quickly cut me off and ended his sentence awkwardly. I nodded in response.

" But I'm going to need your last name for security and refrence reasons. " Edmund told me.

" Odele. Riva Gabriel Odele. " I told him for the first time.

He just gaped at me with eyes wide. I scrunched up my eyes, confused.

" What? " I asked.

" Odele." he said.

" Yes... " I began.

" That's the name of this ship. Odele." He told me as the first rays of dawn lighted up the ship and I could see and count every eye lash on Edmund's eye. His eyes gleamed with excitment and curosity. He grabbed my hand and led me to a different chamber than mine.

" Oh shit. " I muttered under my breath as I realised that this probably means something important.

Oh Shit. Not again. I just want things to cool down. Peace , I just want peace. No excitment please.

" You smell nice. " Edmund said while we crossed the dock to the other side of the ship.

" Yeah, its rose water and honey.. " I said vaguely, lost in thought. I didn't notice how Edmund squeezed my hand and took a deep breath in my hair. I was lost in thought. But I remember it felt nice to have someone so close to me and whisper inaudible things in my ear.

Lets just say I ignored that part, though the cork in my throat and the color on my cheeks would've been an obvious give away.

What does he want with me? Edmund. I won't give in to him. Not now. Not ever.


End file.
